1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a room air conditioner, and more particularly to an apparatus for cooling a condenser of a room air conditioner which can improve a cooling efficiency of the condenser.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, an air conditioner is an apparatus for conditioning air in a house or an office with a properly adjusted indoor temperature and humidity agreeable to a human body. In practice, the air conditioner may be controlled to keep an indoor temperature of about 28.degree. C. and an indoor humidity of about 65-75% during hot summer days, while keeping the indoor temperature of about 18.degree. C. and the indoor humidity of about 55-70% during cold winter days.
In such an air conditioner, and especially in a room air conditioner, all the operative components thereof are assembled in one unit. Within the room air conditioner unit, an evaporator and an exhaust grill sections for uniformly dispersing the conditioned air to a room are positioned toward the room, and a condenser part which is super-heated during its operation is extended out of the room so as to be cooled by outdoor air.
FIGS. 1 and 2 show an exterior appearance and a structure of a conventional room air conditioner 100. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, conventional room air conditioner 100, to perform refrigeration cycles, has a compressor 1 for compressing a refrigerant gas with a high pressure and a high temperature, a condenser 2 for gradually condensing the high temperature and high pressure refrigerant gas transferred from compressor 1 to a liquid phase by a heat exchange, an expansion valve 3 for reducing the pressure of the liquid-phase refrigerant transferred from condenser 2 to change the liquid-phase refrigerant to a low temperature refrigerant in a multiphase of liquid-gas, and an evaporator 4 for evaporating the low temperature multiphase refrigerant with an absorption of environmental heat and transferring the evaporated refrigerant gas to compressor 1.
Conventional room air conditioner 100 further has a base plate 5 for supporting all of the operative components thereon, first and second isolation wall sections 6 and 7 vertically mounted on base plate 5 with predetermined intervals to separate the evaporator part from the condenser part, a driving motor 9 fixed to a motor mount 8 which is vertically assembled on base plate 5, located between first and second isolation wall sections 6 and 7 a blower 10 and a fan 11 fixed to both driving shafts 9a and 9b of driving motor 9, a control unit 12 assembled on first isolation wall section 6 for the control of the room temperature, a grill section 13 assembled in front of first isolation wall section 6 for allowing indoor air to pass therethrough and uniformly dispersing the conditioned air to a room, and a cap member 14 mounted on base plate 5 to cover all the operative components mounted on base plate 5.
First isolation wall section 6 has a barrier 51 vertically assembled on base plate 5 to separate and isolate the evaporator part from the condenser part, a scroll 52 assembled with base plate 5 and barrier 51 for guiding the circulation of the air which is drawn by blower 10 and conditioned through evaporator 4 to the room and for gathering a condensate falling from evaporator 4 for a drainage out of the unit , an evaporator cover 53 assembled with scroll 52 for guiding the circulation of the conditioned air to the room in cooperation with scroll 52 so that the conditioned air is expelled through grill section 13, a brace 54 assembled with second isolation wall section 7 and barrier 51 for providing a support between first and second isolation wall sections 6 and 7 at predetermined intervals, and fixing members 55 assembled on a lower part of scroll 52 to fix a temperature sensor (not shown) for sensing the temperature of the drawn indoor air.
Second isolation wall section 7 has a structure assembled on base plate 5 to separate and isolate the condenser part from the evaporator part. Second isolation wall section 7 guides the outdoor air drawn by fan 11 so that the drawn air passes through condenser 2 and then is expelled outside thereof.
An air conditioning efficiency of room air conditioner 100 depends on a cooling efficiency of condenser 2. As shown in FIG. 2, in room air conditioner 100, fan 11 is coupled to a driving shaft 9b so as to rotate therewith. The outside air drawn by a rotation of fan 11 passes around condenser 2 positioned in front of fan 11, makes a heat exchange with the refrigerant flowing in condenser 2, and is expelled outside thereof.
Meanwhile, U.S. Pat. No. 5,273,400 discloses a fan shroud and a fan orifice. FIGS. 3A and 3B show front and side views of the fan shroud and the fan orifice. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, fan shroud 125 is fixed along tips of a plurality of blades 113 formed at fan 110 so as to rotate therewith. Fan orifice 131 having a shape corresponding to a shape of a circumferential portion of fan shroud 125 is formed through an orifice bulkhead 130 in such a manner that fan orifice 131 is positioned adjacent to fan shroud 125, thereby guiding the air toward fan 110.
However, in the condenser cooling mechanism as described above, the air blown by fan 11 toward condenser 2 is radially dispersed, so the air does not pass through a center portion of condenser 2, but passes only a circumferential portion of condenser 2. Consequently, a cooling efficiency of condenser 2 is decreased, and the refrigerant in condenser 2 is not uniformly cooled, so the refrigerant flow becomes unstable. Accordingly, an air conditioning efficiency of room air conditioner 100 is decreased. Therefore, there is a need to provide an orifice or a guiding member between fan 11 and condenser 2 to make air pass through the center portion of condenser 2.